Sports movies inevitably seem to fall
into one of two categories: Firstly there are the against-all-odds, David vs.
Goliath, overcoming adversity (racism, disability, poverty etc.) hopeful narratives,
then there are the grueling look-how-much-of-a-toll-this-obsessesion-with-success-and-fame-does-to-the-human-spirit
types of tragic narratives. Films like Cool Runnings, The Mighty Ducks or Jerry
Maguire are firmly in the first camp, whereas Raging Bull, The Wrestler
and Million Dollar Baby are in the
second.
Bennett Miller has directed one of each
in recent years; the first was Moneyball
– the against-all-odds true story of how the baseball team the Oakland A’s, led
by general manager Billy Beane, used a system of math’s and statistics to revolutionise
how to beat the richer teams. His latest
film Foxcatcher is firmly in the
other camp of sports films.
Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is an Olympic
wrestler trying to prove himself and escape the shadow of his more successful
brother David (Mark Ruffalo). Stuck
giving inspirational talks to school children and living alone with little
money, he has to watch as his brother is in talks with wrestling associations
for lucrative coaching deals. This all
changes however when Mark is contacted by the elusive and enigmatic
philanthropist John Du Pont (Steve Carrell) who offers to coach and train him
on his private Foxcatcher estate.
At first Mark is grateful for the
opportunity as John takes him under his wing and builds his public persona on
talking tours and public appearances, yet things begin to sour when David
agrees to come to Foxcatcher and work alongside the jealous Du Pont…
The sport of wrestling in America has a
unique image problem, as there is the traditional Olympic style of wrestling as
endurance sport, and then the spectacle of WWE and other
entertainment/performance wrestling. I
have no idea what the perception of the sport was 50 years ago, or during
Ancient Greece, but the influence of WWE has definitely made the sport feel
extremely camp and homoerotic. Foxcatcher is a film as much about
homoeroticism and the male body, than it is about the sport of wrestling.
John Du Pont lives with his elderly
hardhearted mother who is only interested in her collection of racing
horses. She disapproves of his interest
in wrestling and considers it “low” – an obvious reference to sexuality that is
reinforced at one point in the film where John is trying to coach some of his
team but can’t ‘perform’ when his mother comes to watch. The film treats wrestling as a form of
hyper-masculine ballet, as the camera constantly lingers over close-up shots of
muscles straining and Mark throwing himself around the floor practicing his
moves. There is a lot of queer subtext
to be enjoyed by audiences who are looking for it.
Miller, as in Moneyball, has given the film a rich post-rock soundtrack (provided
in both films by the amazing This
Will Destroy You). Yet the score is
used much more sparingly in Foxcatcher. The sound mixing is incredibly minimal at
times, keeping the sound of slapped skin and heavy feet during the
fighting/practicing instead of music.
Carell is rightly gaining momentum for
the Best Actor category at this year’s Oscars – he is utterly hypnotic and has
a brilliant vocal delivery (Especially during a funny moment when teaching Mark
to say “ornithologist philatelist philanthropist”). John Du Pont is portrayed
as pensive yet detached, and obsessed with strength and domination, as
highlighted by his love of wrestling but also through his attempts to buy
military weapons… The performance is
subtle and restrained and unlike anything Carell is done before (obviously).
Foxcatcher is a film about ambition, perseverance,
jealousy and tension, and is a masterclass in subtext and non-verbal
communication. A film that contrasts
muscles with egos and strength with dominance, and ultimately the confined
violence of the wrestling ring with the actual violence of the real word…
No comments:
Post a Comment